In our exclusive interview Elizabeth Hurley, 58, and her son Damian, 22, talk about his directorial debut, Strictly Confidential, in which his mum stars.
Described by Damian as "a sensual mystery with a pulse," the film has caused a stir for a steamy scene between Elizabeth and another female character.
Elizabeth and Damian, however, are positively blasé about the fuss caused.
"Here's the thing: in real life, I don't think I've ever kissed anyone in front of Damian," she tells HELLO! "He's been on my film sets since he was eight years old, and he's frequently seen me kiss people, and it's not that sexy."
Her son agrees. "It's business," he says. "When you've still got seven scenes to get through, it's the last thing on one's mind."
Mother and son's famously close bond
The pair have a famously close relationship which, Elizabeth explains, is down to the fact that she's been "a single mother of a single child."
She raised Damian alone after his biological father, the late American businessman Steve Bing, with whom she had a relationship, denied paternity. It was later proved by a DNA test.
"When there are just two of you, there's less falling out and stomping off because there's not really anywhere to go. There's just us.
"We have completely separate lives in some ways, and there are, of course, private areas, but we've become a very strong team. For some things, we're each other's confidants; for other things, we're each other's best friends, the person the other one most wants to tell things to."
Adds Damian: "We have a twin-like telepathy, and I think that serves us very well. But the moment there's a clash, it's like you're arguing with yourself.
"If we're fighting, we'll suddenly interrupt ourselves mid-sentence and go: 'Oh my God, I forgot to tell you.'"
Their guarded love lives
They share the family home in Herefordshire, where Elizabeth loves the fact that they can go to the supermarket without being followed and "go to the high street in our tracksuits and ugg boots and nobody is remotely interested in us".
Which is just as well, given that they are both currently in relationships. "We are seeing people at the moment, but we're both quite private," Damian says.
"I've seen first-hand how devastating relationships in the public eye can become, and we've both made a decision that until somebody is incredibly serious, we're not going to speak publicly about who we're seeing."
However they don't discuss each other's love lives. "Although we are close in a myriad of ways, that's not one of them," says Elizabeth, who remains friends with two of her exes, Hugh Grant and Arun Nayer.
"But I would think very carefully about bringing anyone into my life, knowing that it will cross over with Damian's life. I'd never jeopardise our family dynamic.
"I've never hung out with anybody who didn't have a positive influence on his life. Everybody I loved, and continue to love, has always loved Damian as much as they love me, I'm sure."
"And the people I've remained close to have always felt like my family. Now I guess there's only Hugh and Arun, and I love them both, and they both love Damian."
To read the full interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK now. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
Photos: Antoine Verglas
Hair: Serge Normant
Make-up: Sandy Linter
Styling: Freddie Leiba
